Monday, June 7, 2010

Welcome back to Snake Stalking! Today, I'm talking with 3rd year (and one of my former Little Snakes) Linuxchic!

Knit, Crochet, Spinning or all of the above - and for how long: I have been knitting for about a year and a half, crocheting for almost 10 years, and spinning for a few months.

How did you get into the House Cup and how long ago was that? I don’t remember how I found the House Cup but I found it last summer. When I joined the group the term had already started so I had to wait for the Winter Term and am currently a 3rd year.

Why Slytherin? I am a geek and a bookworm so I seriously considered Ravenclaw but the ambition, cunning, sarcasm, and hotties made me realize I was a snake at heart!

Tell me about your Muggle existence (away from the Cup): I am a married mom of four kids ages 5, 11, 14, and 15 (16 next month!). I work full-time as a linux systems administrator at a community college so sometimes I have to work odd hours to make sure the systems are working for students and staff. I live in a 100 year old three story house that my friends call The Burrow because the stairs go round and round up and down so it’s like the house that never ends. I live in a rural town outside of Kansas City, MO and commute to work on the Kansas side five days a week. I love to work with fiber and am just getting into spinning. I started dying new and recycled yarn recently and I also make stitch markers. I love to craft so I also sew, bead, make soap, refinish furniture and all kinds of other stuff. I also adore animals and have seven pets which include 3 cats, 1 hamster, 2 guinea pigs, and a house rabbit and all but the hamster were rescues. We used to formally rescue cats and guinea pigs but have slowed down quite a bit and now are just enjoying the ones we have.

What’s your favorite part of the House Cup? Why do you keep coming back? My favorite part of the House Cup is that it challenges me. I have progressed more as a crafter since joining the Cup than at any other time in my life. The assignments challenge me but watching all the beautiful projects other members create challenges and inspires me even more. I had never done lace or made a real garment before joining the Cup. This term will be my most challenging yet as I am doing two OWLS. I am most productive when the Cup is in session. Of course, the challenges would mean nothing if it wasn’t for the great community that participate in the Cup. I love the online friends I have made and I may not always post a lot but I smoosh a lot of love buttons and read the threads. I have learned a lot and gotten to know great people. The Cup has significantly impacted my life for the better. It may sound cheesy but it’s completely true.

What’s your Patronus and why? My Patronus is a rabbit - my real life house rabbit, Eggs. She is a Slytherin through and through and is sneaky yet sweet. I imagine she has a lot of snarky things to say. She is loyal and protects me by listening to everything I have to say which makes me feel better when I am down.

If I were to open a cupboard containing a Boggart, what would it turn into and what would you turn it into? My Boggart would be a clown. I hate clowns, they scare the crap out of me. I would Riddikulus it into my high school counselor who told me I would never make it as a woman in a man’s field because I am still laughing at that.

Addictions or Collections? Yarn. Lots of yarn. I also collect random computer parts, reference books, and music boxes. I have 70 music boxes and they represent significant events in my life including the first breakup I ever had.

What would you do if you won the lottery? I would pay off my bills, buy a reliable car, and build a nice home on land in the country then spend some time traveling and working for charitable causes. It would be nice to be able to be more active in all the causes that are dear to my heart around the world because I am not worrying about how to pay my bills if I am working for free.

If you had enough magical power to cast just one spell, what would it be? Repairo - for my 100 year old house with the leaky basement :)

Cake or pie? PIE! I love pumpkin pie and cheesecake has a crust so I am going to say it’s technically a pie.

Are you prepared for the zombie outbreak? Two of my favorite books are the Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z. As long as we don’t get cunning or fast zombies like in 28 Days/Weeks Later or I am Legend then I am pretty confident of my odds.

What would you like to see here at Hogwarts in the future? I cannot imagine a way to make Hogwarts any more wonderful than it already is!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Thank you interested Slytherins for tuning in to our extra special Slytherin blog! Sorry it's been kind of fail the last few weeks. It just has been....chaos. That's all I've got.

Anyway, I've been planning a post for the last few weeks, I just wanted to wait to the end of the month before I did it. I've been favoriting some projects as I come across them throughout the month, and I wanted to share those here. So that'll come up in the next few days or so.

Right now, I'll share some general things to know:

Have you looked at the Headmistress Challenge yet? Scarlettb posted a very relevant post about it in the Dungeon a while back.

We had a great time doing our May Tea Party, so we've decided to do something fun for June too! We're having a Slytherin Summer Jam! This isn't required, and there's probably no bonus for us doing it as a group, but it's a fun way to get to know one another, and shake up the projects a bit. For our Tea Party, see the dungeon thread here or check out the 3 pages of projects!!

Have you done Quidditch yet, or are you at least considering it? We have all term to complete it, but it's a major fountain of point-potential. If you aren't sure where to start, check out the Quidditch thread in the Slytherin Dungeon. It explains things from a Slytherin point of view, and you can ask questions there. As Quidditch staff, I'm equipped to provide answers. :)

Work on those Owls this month, and remember you've got to be at 50% (not 30%!) by the end of June. Speaking of that, I really should go work on mine, so, keep on carrying on, everyone!